Good Movie Ideas

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 10:57 am

If you’re searching for some good movie ideas for the next time you plop down in front of the TV, why not give the following films a try? Variety is the spice of life, which is why I’ve included a mixture of dramas, comedies, documentaries, and even a few which cross genre lines.

The Big Picture (1989) – Kevin Bacon plays an aspiring director who just wants to make a character-driven film about a group of friends in a cabin. But his simple dreams soon get turned upside down as he interacts with Hollywood execs (J.T. Walsh), sexy starlets (Teri Hatcher), and slimy agents (Martin Short). Bacon’s at his most likable, and the excellent supporting cast also includes Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael McKean.

Hollow Point (1995) – Thomas Ian Griffith never became a big star, but he should have. The actor debuted in The Karate Kid, Part III as (get this) an evil martial artist and toxic-waste dumper. In Hollow Point, Griffith’s physical, dramatic, and comedic skills are all on display in the role of DEA agent Max Parish, a pill-popping smartass who teams with a FBI agent (Tia Carrere) and a hitman (Donald Sutherland) to bring down a ruthless money launderer (John Lithgow). This one came and went with little fanfare, but it’s certainly worth a look.

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) – Matt Dillon shines in this crime film directed by Gus Van Sant. In the ‘70s, a “family” of drug addicts travel across the U.S. and steal from hospitals and pharmacies. Based on the novel from James Fogle, Drugstore Cowboy gets solid performances from its cast, including Kelly Lynch, James Remar, James Le Gros, and Heather Graham. Look for author William S. Burroughs in a cameo as a recovering drug addict.

Bad Day at Black Rock (1954) – Spencer Tracy plays John J. Macreedy, a mysterious one-armed man who steps off a train at the dying town of Black Rock (the first to do so in four years). He’s simply looking for a man named Komoko, but he’s immediately greeted with open hostility by the majority of the town’s few residents. What does Macreedy want with Komoko, and why are the townsfolk so eager to see him leave? You won’t have all your answers until near the end, but the wait is well worth it. Also starring Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Anne Francis, and Lee Marvin.

The Chase (1994) – Charlie Sheen stars as an innocent man who escapes from prison and then makes the mistake of kidnapping the spoiled daughter (Kristy Swanson) of a powerful California billionaire. As he tries to elude police, he’s pursued by a reality show crew, a gang of rednecks in a monster truck, and plenty of reporters eager to risk their lives for an exclusive. Meanwhile, he and his initially hostile captive begin to bond and realize a growing attraction. A masterful critique of television news, this film was released just months before O.J. Simpson’s flight down a Hollywood freeway, creating an eerie parallel between fact and fiction (and further proving the point the movie was trying to make).

Hud (1963) – Paul Newman gives the performance of his career as a self-centered modern-day cowboy at odds with himself and all those around him. Adapted from a novel by Larry McMurtry, the film was nominated for nominated for seven Academy Awards and won three (including Best Actress for the wonderful Patricia Neal). Even if you’re not normally a fan of “old movies,” this is one you should make an exception for.

The King of Comedy (1983) – Robert De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, a less-than-talented comic who dreams of making it big. He comes to believe late-night host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) is his ticket to stardom, and he begins a relentless campaign to appear on his show. When this fails, he hatches a kidnapping scheme with longtime Langford stalker, Masha (Sandra Bernhard). Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film takes a darkly comic look at the nature of celebrity. Jerry Lewis shows that he’s capable of more than hosting telethons and wearing silly glasses.

The Shootist (1976) – John Wayne plays John Books, a gunfighter dying of prostate cancer. Forced to face his own mortality, he makes up his mind to go out in one final showdown with a trio of armed killers (including Richard Boone). But before this can happen, he also forges a friendship with a young man (Ron Howard) and his widowed mother (Lauren Bacall). In real life, Wayne was cancer-free during the film’s shooting, but his death a few years later from the disease would make The Shootist seem all the more poignant.

Darkon (2006) – A documentary about live-action role-playing and the men and women who participate. Directors Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer use dramatic camera angles to make otherwise dull events seem epic in scope. If you’re into role-playing or fantasy war gaming, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.

The Hidden (1987) – A forgotten gem of the sci-fi genre, The Hidden focuses on Sgt. Thomas Beck (Michael Nouri), an L.A. cop investigating a series of murders and robberies which may be the work of something from another planet. Kyle MacLachlan plays a mysterious FBI agent also on the killer’s trail. Plenty of gunplay, Claudia Christian as a stripper, and a solid script make The Hidden a film worth a look for science fiction fans.

24 Responses to “Good Movie Ideas”

I thought this was going to cover good ideas for movies I could make or write screenplays for. I guess I can use it for inspiration, like that other article.

October 30, 2009

Shane

If I had a really good idea for a movie, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I’d be somewhere in Hollywood licking ice cream off a stripper’s rear (assuming that’s what successful screenwriters do, of course).

October 31, 2009

Ballard Andy White

I have some good movie ideas. Here are ten of my movie ideas:

1- A hooker (with a heart of gold) teams up with a cynical cop to save the earth from aliens.
2- An elderly investor and a female pop singer team up to stop a computer virus.
3- A robot with emotions teams up with a Mary Tyler Moore type to fight extra-dimensional creatures who are intent on invading our dimension.
4- A quirky family goes on a trip together. On the trip, they gain some insight into each others’ quirks and grow closer to each other.
5- Two high school nerds sneak away from the rest of the students on a field trip to a museum. They enter a secret room and trigger Armageddon by reading a forbidden scroll.
6- A slacker and his friends are stalked by a vampire on a killing spree.
7- A retired chef takes a young but hotheaded Denny’s breakfast cook under his wing. With the old chef’s help, the young breakfast cook wins a reality cooking show.
8- A knight and his minotaur sidekick must rescue a princess from an evil sorceror.
9- After the apocalypse, a traveling merchant and a bandit leader form an uneasy alliance against a large band of road warriors.
10- Five junior high age boys spend the night in a haunted house.

Those are my good movie ideas. If you use one, just be sure to include Ballard Andy White as a minor character in the screenplay somewhere.

November 2, 2009

Shane

I like the idea of the hooker with the heart of gold. That’s one that really hasn’t been used before, and it’s probably a gold mine of emotions just waiting to be tapped. It would be even better if the hooker got a minotaur sidekick (or maybe it’s her pimp).

November 2, 2009

FilmFan123

I like the second idea about a female pop singer and an elderly investor. I’m thinking Ed Asner as the investor and Miley Cyrus as the singer. Big hit potential there.

December 9, 2009

dan

my movie idea is of a serrial killer something like an autobiograpfi,from the moment of his birth ,how he began in life as a small boy ,wath gon wrong in his small head when he finded out that his mother and father ar killers and kill for fun ,his school life ,his feeling,love life ,what made him kill how he started to kill,his filling for humans,because he was raised to kill and how he was caught or killed

February 11, 2010

Anastacia

i really like the idea of the autobiography of the serial killer its a really creative idea

March 27, 2010

jo

this site came up when we were looking for movie ideas to make…THIS POPPED UP! AND DOES NOT HELP

March 27, 2010

Shane

Glad we could be of service, Mr. Lucas.

July 4, 2010

aaron szydlowski

I WOULD TO SEE POKAMON ‘DIGIMON .YU GI OH, DRAGONBALL , On the big screen like they did with the flinstones with real actors playing the roles

July 4, 2010

aaron szydlowski

i would like to see street fighter with the cast back really liked jean claude van damme and he could be working with his son and training him, maybe jason david frank could be his partner every one would love that the power ranger , and vann damme what a team up

July 4, 2010

Shane

Van Damme and the Power Rangers. Indeed, that would be quite a team-up.

July 7, 2010

patricia

i think that is a great movie idea would love to see , jason david frank with jean cluede van damme . would get a big thumbs up from a wide age group

July 18, 2010

aaron szydlowski

i recon that dino crisis would be great made into a movie

July 24, 2010

aaron

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe i would like 2 see this game made into a movie

July 27, 2010

aaron

im just wondering if u going to make superwoman catwoman & batwoman plus would love 2 see americas greatest hero reborn real funny show needs Adam Sandler or likes of Rob Schneider to pull off

It’s called The Facebook Faux Pas and it’s slotted to shoot in Cleveland this fall.

Check out my website for updates.

September 30, 2010

aaron

i would really like 2 see a movie made of dino crisis , with jessica alba playing regina, Steve Austin as gail, Dwayne Johnson as rick ,ashton kutcher could play dr kirk , it would be great if they made it to follow format of the game

September 30, 2010

Shane

I’m up for any movie that teams Steve Austin with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Maybe Mick Foley could cameo as some sort of dinosaur.

February 25, 2011

Skye And Jess,

Hey thanks guys for the tips it really helpful and we made an good movie, but now we need more ideas. THANKS 🙂